Bidirectional Cell Linking

Your loads come from cells. Your results write back to cells. Change a value in Excel — the beam recalculates instantly. No standalone software, no copy-pasting.

How It Works

Three steps to connect your beam analysis to your spreadsheet.

1

Click the cell-link icon on any input

Every input field — span length, load magnitude, load position, support stiffness — has a cell-link button. Click it and select the Excel cell.

2

Your beam reads from that cell

BeamBuddy monitors linked cells every 2 seconds. When a value changes, the FEM engine re-solves the beam automatically.

3

Results write back to your worksheet

Choose which cells receive max moment, reactions, deflections, or any result. They update every time the beam recalculates.

Why Engineers Love It

🔗

Inputs from Cells

Point any beam input — span, load magnitude, load position — at an Excel cell. Your spreadsheet becomes the single source of truth.

📤

Results Back to Cells

Max bending moment, reactions, deflections — all write back to cells you choose. No copy-pasting, no transcription errors.

2-Second Polling

Change a value in your spreadsheet and the beam recalculates within 2 seconds. Diagrams, results tables, everything updates live.

📐

Parametric Studies

Link a load to a cell, then sweep values. Watch how reactions and deflections change in real time — no re-entering data.

🔄

Works Both Ways

Not just input → output. Link results back to other calculations in your workbook. Chain beam analysis into your wider design workflow.

💾

Links Save with the Workbook

Cell references persist inside the .xlsx file. Reopen the workbook next week and every link is exactly where you left it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Excel cell linking work in BeamBuddy?

You point any input field (span, loads, positions) at an Excel cell. When that cell changes, the beam recalculates automatically. Results like max moment, reactions, and deflections write back to cells you choose.

Can I link beam analysis results back to Excel cells?

Yes. BeamBuddy supports bidirectional linking — inputs read from cells and results write back to cells. This means your spreadsheet always has the latest analysis values without any manual copy-pasting.

How fast does the beam recalculate when I change a cell?

BeamBuddy polls linked cells every 2 seconds. Change a load or span value in your spreadsheet and the analysis updates live — reactions, diagrams, and all results refresh automatically.

Ready to link your spreadsheet to your beams?

14-day free trial. No credit card required. Full bidirectional cell linking included.